Arthur Kirkland and the Scepter of Time
by Anonymous Uke
Summary: Excitement! Peril! Love! Adventure! Arthur Kirkland, son of a master artifact hunter, sets off on a journey to find a legendary time-traveling artifact. Little does he know that he is about to embark on the adventure of a life time... or three...
1. Chapter 1: In His Footsteps

Hey everybody! For those of you who read and/or favorited my first fanfic, thank you very much. This one is going to be significantly longer, and I mean significantly longer! The main character is, as you probably guessed by the title, everyone's favorite Brit, Arthur Kirkland! It is an _Indiana Jones_ type story, but with Hetalia characters, which makes everything better. Please, enjoy! =D

A young boy is sitting by a fire place, playing with animal dolls. He makes growling noises as he makes the lion doll chase the elephant doll. His attention is diverted from the toys by a noise in the foyer. A tall, burly man steps through the front door, the rain dripping from his coat onto the hardwood floors. He takes off his hat and coat, hanging them on the coat rack. His face looks tired. His countenance suggests a man of many experiences, weathered by a hard life. His deep crows' feet show that, although he is physically imposing, he is mentally weary, but he seemingly finds new life at the sight of the little boy running to him, calling, "Father, father!" "Arthur, my boy!" bellows the man with his deep voice, taking the child in his arms. The small child holds tightly to the man. A soft smile dawns the man's face as a woman appears in the doorway leading to the den. He puts down the small child and approaches her, the small child holding on to the leg of his pants. He takes her in an embrace of genuine love that only a veteran of marriage could deliver. "Oh, Elizabeth, how I have missed you so," he whispers, running his fingers through her hair. She smiles, leaning her head against his chest.

After few moments of silence, Elizabeth looks up at her husband and asks, "What did you bring me this time, Henry?" The man gives a big smile, ruffling his prominent mustache. He reaches into a satchel on his side, pulling out a beautiful gold ring sporting a jade dragon claw. The woman gasps as she takes it from his hand. After examining it for a moment, she asks, "what is it?" "It is the ring that was worn by the greatest Han emperor of all, Emperor Wu. I thought you might like the power it implies, being the headstrong woman that you are," replies Henry. Elizabeth gives a smug look. "You know me all too well, Henry," she says. "Father, tell me about your adventures!" Arthur chimes in. "But of course!" replies Henry, picking up Arthur and carrying him into the den. They sit down together on the couch. Elizabeth goes into the kitchen to make everyone a cup tea while Henry begins telling Arthur all about his journeys.

Arthur listens in awe at his father's tale. Once his father finishes the story, the enthralled Arthur says with great enthusiasm, "Father, when I grow up, I want to be a strong, brave adventurer, just like you! Then, we can go on adventures together!" "Yes… of course… together…" says the man somewhat hesitantly. He glances at his wife who, knowing him well, realizes that something is weighing heavily on Henry's mind. She motions for him to join her in the master bedroom. He complies, setting Arthur down by the fireplace.

Once in the bedroom, Elizabeth shuts the door. She puts one hand on his shoulder and cups his cheek with the other. "Henry, my love, what is bothering you?" she asks. "It is nothing, my dear. I am just tired," replies Henry. "Do not lie to me, Henry Kirkland!" she says firmly. The man's countenance becomes sorrowful. "The Germans and Austrians have invaded Belgium. As promised by the crown, we must intervene… I have been called to serve," replies Henry. "No… No! You do not have to fight! We can easily escape the country with Arthur. We can flee to America!" she pleas. "That is where you are wrong, Elizabeth," replies Henry. He leads her back into the den where little Arthur is playing. They watch him for a moment before Henry whispers, "that… is why I must fight." Unable to deny the truth of her husband's words, she begins to cry. He holds her close to himself, shedding a tear of his own.

One year later, Elizabeth Kirkland is cleaning up Arthur's toys from the den floor. Suddenly, she hears a knock on the door. "Now who would be at my door so early in the morning?" she asks herself aloud. She opens the door to find a well dressed military official with a letter in his hand. "Mrs. Kirkland?" he asks, holding out. She gasps, putting her hands over her face. The tears immediately begin to form. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kirkland, but your husband, Henry Kirkland, went missing in action. His body was not recovered," says the somber man. Elizabeth bursts into tears, taking the letter with shaky hands. The man bows in respect before returning to his car and leaving. She shuts the door, her hands trembling as the tears trickle down her face. Suddenly, she hears little Arthur behind her. "Mum, why are you crying? Where is father?" he asks. Immediately, she knows she must be strong for Arthur's sake. It is what Henry would have wanted. She wipes her tears to the best of her abilities, kneeling down and putting her hands on Arthur's shoulders. "Your Father… is on another adventure. He has gone to find a lost kingdom known as Heaven," she says, trying with all of her might to hold back the tears. "Then why are you crying, mum?" asks Arthur. "Well, Heaven is a so far from home. Your Father will be gone for a very long time," replies the mother. "He will come back! He always has! You'll see! And this time, he'll bring us the best treasure ever!" Arthur says with great determination. Despite the grim circumstance, Elizabeth cannot help but smile at how much of Henry she sees in Arthur. Deciding to leave it at that, she kisses him on the forehead and tells him to go play. She slowly stands up, watching Arthur run to where his toys lie strewn across the floor. _That… is why I must fight_. Elizabeth hears the voice of her husband, feeling a strange comfort in knowing that he did not die in vain.

Arthur grew up, but his father never returned. Eventually, his mother had to tell him the truth. At first he was devastated, but he quickly found solace in the knowledge that his father had an honorable death. Arthur went through school making excellent grades, eventually studying archeology and history at Oxford University. One day in the campus library, Arthur came upon an old book titled _Treasures of a Lost Age_. Upon reading the title of the book, he immediately begins flipping through the pages. He turns and turns until he stumbles upon an article titled "The Vanishing Scepter." "What have we here?" he whispers to himself. He sits down at a table and begins to read. He flips the page, but to his dismay, the rest of the article has been torn out of the book. Outraged, he stomps up to the librarian and demands, "What is the meaning of this? Where in her majesty's empire are the missing pages to this book?" Before the librarian can open her mouth to answer, a tall, broad shouldered man with blonde hair and blue eyes steps out from behind a book shelf and replies, "that is just it. It is not in Her Majesty's empire." "Excuse me? I do not believe that we have met," says Arthur. "But of course. How rude of me. My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt, artifact hunter extraorinaire. I believe that we may have common interests, Mr…" The man replies, holding out his hand to be shaken. "Kirkland… Arthur Kirkland," replies Arthur, shaking Ludwig's hand. "I foresee a fruitful partnership, Arthur. To adventure?" asks Ludwig. A huge smile stretches across Arthur's face. "To adventure!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Thieves Guild

Hey guys and gals! I am so, so sorry for this taking so ungodly long to get out. I am working on four different stories... FOUR! Well, here is chapter two. I hope you guys and gals love it!

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><p>Arthur and Ludwig walk through courtyard of the men's dormitory toward Ludwig's room.<p>

"Who exactly are you taking me to meet?" asks Arthur.

"I am going to introduce you to my fraternity brothers. I am a member of ΑΛΩ (Alpha Lambda Omega), the archeologist's guild. I am sure that you will fit right in," replies Ludwig with a smirk.

"If you say so…" mumbles Arthur.

Ludwig leads Arthur to the third floor. He takes him to the last room of the last hallway, isolated from most of the other students. Ludwig opens the door for Arthur, allowing him to enter first. Arthur slowly enters the room, staring in awe at all of the maps on the walls with red strings tacked from one location to another. Large, seemingly old books about archeology and treasure hunting are stacked all through the room. Suddenly, the door shuts behind him.

"Come out everyone. I have someone that I would like you to meet," says Ludwig with a raised voice.

Several people enter the room. First to enter is an averaged sized man with snow white hair and blood red eyes. He has a mischievous demeanor and a yellow chick in his hand, softly caressing its head. Second to enter is a man of Turkish descent, sporting a red Fez and a scimitar. He is accompanied by a smaller male with even darker skin and golden eyes, sporting a solid white Keffiyeh. Third to enter is a very imposing man. He is easily the tallest in the room, having piercing violet eyes and hair so blonde that it is almost white. He is accompanied by a much smaller female. The girl is toying with a sharp kitchen knife. The last one to enter is a small man with light brown hair. He is obviously the youngest of the men. He has a jovial smile and a carefree demeanor. The six people approach Arthur, staring intently at him.

Ludwig clears his throat and begins to speak. "Arthur, I would like to introduce you to the members of ΑΛΩ. First, we have Gilbert Beilschmidt."

A huge grin stretches across the white-haired man's face."What was that, bro? I don't think this guy could hear you over how AWESOME I am! Hahahahaha!" he says obnoxiously. Arthur, chuckles awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond.

Ludwig is obviously annoyed. He continues, "Ah, yes. As you have probably all ready figured out, Gilbert is my brother. Anyway, next we have Sadik Adnan and his 'friend' Gupta Muhammad Hassan."

"How do you do?" asks Arthur politely, holding out his hand to be shaken. Sadik looks down at Arthur's hand, then back up at Arthur, not shaking his hand. Gupta continues to glare at him. Arthur slowly lowers his hand, his nervousness greatly increasing.

"Moving on. Here we have Ivan Braginski and his sister, Natalia Arlovskaya," says Ludwig.

Ivan gives a soft smile and nods, but Natalia takes vastly different approach. Out of nowhere, she throws the kitchen knife at Arthur. Just before it hits Arthur in the face, Ludwig catches it without even looking at it. A drop of sweat runs down Arthur's forehead, getting cut in half by the tip of the knife.

Ludwig sets the knife on a nearby table and continues. "Natalia, please stop attempting to kill prospective members of our guild." The small girl huffs in defiance. Ludwig sighs, placing his fingers at the edges of his forehead. "Lastly, we have Feliciano Vargas. You will find him to be the most agreeable of the guild's members."

The Italian man leaps forward, putting out his hand and saying, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Arthur!" Arthur is caught off guard by this, but he quickly collects his thoughts and shakes the man's hand. "It is certainly nice to meet you to, Feliciano," replies Arthur with a smile.

Ludwig puts his arm around Arthur's shoulders. "Arthur, I am offering the chance of a life time. Join us in the hunt for the vanishing scepter, the greatest treasure of all time!" offers Ludwig.

After a moment or two of pondering, Arthur replies, "What's the catch? All fraternities have some sort of initiation, correct?"

Gilbert smiles. "You betcha! You see, our little family here is known by another… less popular name. We are known to many as the Thieves Guild. Ya see, we collect artifacts regardless of who is currently in possession of them."

"You steal from museums?" asks a horrified Arthur.

"Yes, and if you want to live up to the legacy of your father, you will do as we say. What will be, Arthur?" asks Ludwig.

"I… I… What do I have to do?" asks Arthur.

All of the members of the Thieves Guild look at one another. Finally, Ludwig speaks up. "It is quite simple, actually. You see, we know where the missing pages to the book in question are. They are in the possession of a scholar in Beijing, China. You must simply go and ask for them."

"Oh, that is all? Well, that's not so bad at all!" replies a now chipper Arthur.

"If he refuses, kill him and take them," says Ivan.

Arthur ceases to be chipper.

"You have ten day to carry out your task. If you fail, you cannot be part of the guild. Are we clear?" asks Ludwig.

"Y-Yes… We are c-clear…" replies Arthur, now sick to his stomach.

Ludwig opens the door for him to leave

Arthur slowly walks out of the dorm, Ludwig slamming the door behind him. Arthur feels so sick. He just wishes that all of this was a bad dream, but he knows better. He returns to his room for the night. For what seemed like an eternity, Arthur lies in his bed, running the situation through his head over and over again, applying thousands of different scenarios and outcomes. Some are decidedly absurd. Arthur grunts in frustration and rolls over on his side, furrowing his bushy eyebrows. He honestly has no idea what to do.

The next morning, Arthur enters first period dragging his feet. His eyes are blood shot, having received little to no sleep the night before. He sees Ludwig sitting in the back corner, motioning for him to come over there. Arthur reluctantly complies. He slumps down in the chair to the right of Ludwig.

"So, my friend, I trust that you considered my generous proposal," says Ludwig casually, not lifting his eyes from his text book.

Arthur nods his head. "… I'll do it," mumbles Arthur.

"What was that?" asks Ludwig, turning his gaze to Arthur.

"I said, I'll do it," Arthur replies.

"Wunderbar!" replies Ludwig, slapping Arthur on the back. Arthur gives a weak smile. For the rest of the day, Arthur hangs his head in dread at the thought of what he might have to do.

Spring Break was nearing. Arthur was planning his trip meticulously. He had all ready purchased the tickets for his transportation. He would travel to China on the _HMS Trafalgar_. One day, he is in his room reviewing a map of Beijing when he hears a knock on the door. "Who is it?" he barks in annoyance.

"Ah, yes. Is this Arthur Kirkland's room?" asks a female voice. Hearing the feminine tone, Arthur immediately leaps from his chair and runs to the door. He swings the door open to find a beautiful brunette standing before him.

"C-can I h-help you, ma'am?" Arthur stutters.

"Well, actually, I am here to help you. You left your geography book in the classroom. I brought it with me," replies the girl. "Bloody 'ell, how could I forget that?" Arthur chuckles. She hands him the book. "How can I repay you, Miss…"

"Elizabeta Héderváry, and I don't want any repayment. I am just being a Good Samaritan." She replies with a smile.

She does a slight curtsey and turns to leave, but Arthur blurts out, quite impulsively, something he had not even given any thought at all. "Elizabeta, do you have any plans for Spring Break?" asks Arthur sheepishly.

She quickly turns around and replies, "No, why?"

"Well… How would… How would you like to join me on a trip to China?" asks Arthur.

"Why, I would love to!" she replies with genuine excitement.

A huge grin stretches across Arthur's face. He had actually just succeeded in the first step of courtship.


End file.
